Hilo

Population & Demographics

Hilo, HI

Hilo is home to 50,404 people. Explore its demographics, housing, and economy — plus how its 35,207 resident workers commute each day.

HawaiiCensus ACS 5-Year · LODES 2023
50,404
people
Population

50,404 residents

Median age 42.7 · U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year (2024).

Hilo population & demographics

Who lives in Hilo — population, age, housing, and income, from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Population
50,404
Median age
42.7yrs
Median household income
$81,779
Median home value
$483,000
Median gross rent
$1,427/mo
Bachelor’s degree or higher
34.6%
Poverty rate
14.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2024 5-Year Estimates. Values shown as “—” are suppressed or unavailable for this place.

Race & ethnicity in Hilo

How Hilo breaks down by race and ethnicity — each bar is that group’s share of the population, from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year (2024).

Asian34.2%
Two or more races26.4%
White14.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander12.7%
Hispanic or Latino11.0%
Black0.7%
Some other race0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native0.0%

Race across Hilo

Each dot is a group of people, placed in their 2020 Census block and colored by race or ethnicity — the pattern shows where groups live across Hilo.

Hilo at a glance
Employed Residents
35,207
Fewer than the city’s total population
Median home–work distance
54.1mi
Straight-line, not road distance
Work Locally
60.3%
Share working within the area
Work from home
8.9%
Residents who work from home (ACS)
Top destination outside city
Kailua
Excludes local — most work in-city

These figures are for Hilo proper — the Census place within its city limits — not the surrounding metro area. Metro-wide totals you’ll see elsewhere are larger because they bundle in neighboring cities and suburbs.

How Hilo commutes

Every dot is a worker moving between home and job. Trace where the area pulls people in from — and where its residents head each day.

73
Commute Score

73 / 100

How short the typical commute is here, on an absolute 0–100 scale (higher is shorter). How it’s calculated.

Hilo

35,207 commutes, one dot at a time

Hilo

Where 35,207 workers commute

Each dot ≈ 75 workers

Where residents work

Top destinations for people who live in Hilo, by worker count.

1Hilo0.0 mi21,223
2Kailua59.0 mi2,145
3Kaiminani59.8 mi1,646
4Keaau6.1 mi1,402
5Waikoloa Beach Resort54.1 mi1,068
6Waimea43.2 mi895
7Urban Honolulu210.6 mi875
8Waikoloa Village49.1 mi418

Who commutes in

Top origin places for workers who travel into Hilo.

1Hilo0.0 mi21,223
2Urban Honolulu210.6 mi978
3Hawaiian Paradise Park10.9 mi689
4Wainaku3.0 mi503
5Kahului121.2 mi194
6Wahiawa227.0 mi174
7East Honolulu202.9 mi157
8Pearl City220.2 mi141

Top industries

The sectors that employ Hilo’s workforce. Each bar is scaled to that sector’s share of all local jobs — the top sectors shown don’t add up to 100%.

Bar length = each sector’s share of all local jobs (0–100%)
EDEducational Services20.3%
HCHealth Care and Social Assistance17.6%
RTRetail Trade14.8%
PAPublic Administration12.2%
AFAccommodation and Food Services8.5%
TRTransportation and Warehousing3.3%
COConstruction2.9%
ADAdministrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services2.8%
OSOther Services (except Public Administration)2.7%
Connectivity

Internet options for Hilo

The biggest home-internet providers in the area — tap any to compare local plans.

2 providers
Speed availabilityshare of homes a plan reaches
1 Gbps~all homes
2 Gbps100%
5 Gbps
8 Gbps
See all internet providers in Hilo

FindBetterInternet is a CensusFlow partner site — we link out so you can compare local plans, and CensusFlow’s Census data stays independent. Provider data is from the FCC National Broadband Map (satellite + fixed wireless excluded).